Deputies Kill Ostrich After Deadly Attack On Farmer

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE - SOUTH

February 28, 2000

SPEARSVILLE, La. - An ostrich killed a 90-year-old farmer and critically injured his 86-year-old wife. The male ostrich attacked the couple when they entered its pen, where their son also kept three female ostriches, said Detective Sgt. Trey Fulton of the Union Parish Sheriff's Office. Male ostriches are protective of females - more so when mating. Kicks from an ostrich's long, powerful legs can be deadly. Sheriff's deputies shot and killed the male ostrich.